Viewing cable 09MOSCOW1488, ISRAELI FM LIEBERMAN IN MOSCOW

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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MOSCOW 001488
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/05/2019
TAGS: PGOVPRELIRISSYGGRS
SUBJECT: ISRAELI FM LIEBERMAN IN MOSCOW
Classified By: Political M/C Alice G. Wells for reasons 1.4 (b/d).
¶1. (C) Summary: Israeli FM Lieberman's June 2-3 visit to
Russia appears not to have broken new ground diplomatically,
but cemented Moscow's impression that the Russian-speaking
Lieberman is one of their own. The trip included meetings
with Medvedev and Putin, as well as a lengthy discussion with
FM Lavrov, during which Lieberman indicated that Israel was
not considering a military strike on Iran. Both sides agreed
to hold off on scheduling the Moscow ME conference until
after President Obama's visit to Moscow, and Lavrov quizzed
Lieberman on a possible U.S. plan to bring together Israeli
and Palestinian leaders. Lieberman rebuffed Lavrov's calls
for Israel to ease the pressure on Gaza and halt settlement
expansion, while Lavrov agreed to consider Lieberman's
request for Russian officials to visit the Israeli soldier
held by Hamas. Lavrov said that "nothing new" could happen
on Iran until the U.S. opened its dialogue with Tehran, and
repeated Russian concerns about the need to reach a
negotiated settlement with this "important neighbor." He
reiterated that Russia had not transferred S-300s to Iran,
but also had to consider its contract to provide the missiles
to Tehran. Lavrov thanked Israel for limiting military sales
to Georgia, but thought other countries were supplying
offensive weapons to Tiblisi, which could be emboldened to
start "another adventure." The FMs discussed expanding
bilateral economic ties, and Lavrov raised Russian concern
that Israel was partaking in "historical revisionism" that
sought to blame Russia for the Ukrainian famine of the 1930s.
End summary.
Behaved Like an Old Friend
--------------------------
¶2. (C) Israeli DCM Yuval Fuchs told us that FM Lieberman's
June 2-3 visit to Russia ran the gamut of international and
bilateral issues, from the peace process to the payment of
Soviet-era pensions to Russian speakers living in Israel.
His visit centered upon a two-hour June 2 meeting with FM
Lavrov that Fuchs characterized as a standard presentation of
views, during which "nothing breathtaking" was said.
Lieberman had a hectic day that began with a meeting at
Medvedev's home on the outskirts of Moscow, then the Lavrov
meeting at the MFA, a flight to St. Petersburg on a chartered
plane to see Putin, and dinner with Lavrov upon returning to
Moscow. On June 3, Lieberman had breakfast with former FM
Igor Ivanov (a personal friend), meetings with the heads of
the Duma and Federation Council international affairs
committees, discussions with Russian Jewish leaders, and a
press conference. He then departed Moscow for Minsk.
¶3. (C) Fuchs explained that Lieberman conducted his meetings
in Russian, shared stories about Moscow, and smoked, creating
a comfortable atmosphere with his Russian interlocutors. The
Israeli FM "behaved like an old friend" commented Fuchs, who
thought that the Russians acted as if they already knew him,
although it was too early to say whether this personal
diplomacy would have a measurable effect on already strong
Russia-Israel relations.
Lavrov-Lieberman
----------------
¶4. (C) Fuchs said that during the meeting with Lavrov, the
GOR's planned Moscow ME conference was not a central topic
for either side. Lieberman stressed the importance of
coordinating such efforts with the U.S., and said it would
not be appropriate to set the timing of a conference until
after President Obama's visit to Moscow. Lavrov agreed, and
said that Moscow did not want to hold a conference that would
not produce results. Lavrov asked Lieberman if Israel was
aware of an idea supposedly floated by S/E Mitchell to bring
together Israeli and Palestinian leaders; Lieberman said no.
¶5. (C) Lavrov pressed Israel to open checkpoints into Gaza,
and suggested posting international monitors to allay Israeli
concerns regarding smuggling. When Lavrov argued that Hamas
had stuck by the Gaza cease-fire, Lieberman retorted that
Hamas would break the cease-fire when it believed doing so
suited its needs. Lavrov also pressed Israel to freeze the
settlements, leading Lieberman to respond that "life goes on"
and settlement expansion was necessary to accommodate growing
communities.
¶6. (C) Fuchs said that Lavrov criticized the U.S. on several
fronts, telling Lieberman that the U.S. invasion of Iraq was
a "present" to Iran, and the U.S. decision to isolate Syria
was a "setback" for a comprehensive ME settlement.
Furthermore, the U.S. failure to "listen" to Russia, which
MOSCOW 00001488 002 OF 002
advised against Palestinian elections, had allowed Hamas to
come to power and eventually take over Gaza, thereby
strengthening Iran's position in the region.
Syria
-----
¶7. (C) Lavrov thought that the Turkish-led negotiations
between Israel and Syria had been positive, and said that
during his recent visit to Damascus, the Syrians indicated
that they were ready to renew talks either through Turkey or
Russia so long as they would include the future of the Golan
Heights. Lavrov said that he raised with Hamas leaders the
need to allow visits to captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.
Lieberman asked if Russian officials could visit Shalit, and
Lavrov directed DFM Saltanov to explore this possibility.
Iran
----
¶8. (C) Lavrov predicted that "nothing new" would happen with
Iran until after the U.S. began its dialogue with Tehran,
although he thought there was a better chance to get a "clear
answer" from Iran on P5 1 proposals under the current U.S.
Administration. He reiterated that Russia did not believe
there existed hard evidence that Iran's nuclear program had a
military dimension, and thought it transparent enough to
detect whether resources were directed to military uses.
¶9. (C) Lavrov expressed Russian interest in reaching a
negotiated solution to the crisis surrounding Iran's nuclear
program, and the need for the West to normalize relations
with Tehran, a close Russian neighbor with which it shared
the Caspian and its resources. He raised Russian concern
that an Israeli attack on Iran would cause instability in the
region and an influx of refugees into the Caucasus. Fuchs
said that Lieberman responded that Israel "was not talking
about such a response" and understood that an attack would
cause a "chain reaction" within the region. Lieberman made
similar statements suggesting that Israel was not considering
attacking Iran during his press conference.
¶10. (C) Lavrov reiterated that Russia and Iran had signed a
deal to provide S-300s, but that Russia had not transferred
any weapons. The GOR did not intend to provide regionally
destabilizing weapons, but also had to take into account how
it would be perceived by others if Moscow failed to fulfill
its contract with Tehran.
Georgia
-------
¶11. (C) Lavrov expressed Russian appreciation for Israeli
steps to limit arms sales to Georgia to defensive weapons,
but raised concern that other countries were supplying
offensive weapons. He was also concerned that the recent
military exercises Georgia conducted with NATO might push
Tiblisi to undertake "another adventure".
Bilateral Issues
----------------
¶12. (C) Fuchs said that much of the discussion between Lavrov
and Lieberman focused on expanding bilateral ties, especially
in the economic sphere. They also touched upon parochial
issues of concern to Lieberman and his constituents, such as
the payment of pensions owed by the Soviet Union and Russia
to Russian-speaking Israelis.
¶13. (C) Lavrov raised Russian concern with "historical
revisionism" regarding the Soviet Era and Second World War,
which, he said, was particularly acute in Eastern Europe but
was also present in Israel. He cited Israel's official
recognition of the Holodomor, the 1930s famine that occurred
in Ukraine. Lieberman explained that by recognizing this
tragedy, Israel had not said Russia was guilty of causing it,
nor that it was an act of genocide.
BEYRLE